Foodborne illnesses of O157origin and its control measures.

Foodborne illnesses are leading source of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing nations. O157 is one of the most reported foodborne pathogen that emerged in the past few decades. South East Asia region suffers the highest average burden of diarrhoeal mortality, especially when it comes to child mortality.Query Many studies were undertaken in the developed nations to evaluate the role of O157 as one of the etiological agent in foodborne outbreaks. In this article, we discuss the distribution of O157 serotype in the food chains of South East Asian countries, with a special focus on India where more than half a million child diarrhoeal deaths occurs every year and the reasons for which is often not ascertained to the fullest extent. The article also describes in detail about the various detection methods and control measures with respect to O157. The aim of this study is to document and highlight the extent of Foodborne infections of O157 origin and thereby taking effective and proactive preventive measures.